Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday 28 Iyar sent the following condolence letter to the family of the late Rabbi Moshe Levinger:

“Dear Levinger family,

I was saddened to hear of the passing of the head of your family, the late Rabbi Moshe Levinger.

Rabbi Levinger’s name will be forever linked with the movement for renewed Jewish settlement in Hebron and other areas of the country where our patriarchs walked thousands of years ago. He was an outstanding example of a generation that sought to realize the Zionist dream, in deed and in spirit, after the Six Day War.

As a prominent student of Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook at Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva in Jerusalem, Rabbi Levinger was influenced by the dream according to which ‘everything grows from the Land of Israel’. He stressed that deepening our roots in the inheritance of our forefathers would allow us to strengthen the State of Israel as a whole.

Our return to the holy places of our people in the defensive war and war of deliverance 48 years ago stirred our hearts. Our eternal capital Jerusalem was a united city once again. Kever Rochel and the Ma’aras HaMachpelah, where our patriarchs and matriarchs are buried, again became centers of prayer for myriad Jews. I am proud of the fact that they are included in the Government’s list of national heritage sites, given their religious and educational importance of the highest order.

There is great symbolism that Rabbi Levinger passed away on the eve of Jerusalem Day; he leaves behind him a well-established legacy and many students who are dedicated to taking root in our Land.

Dear members of the Levinger family, my heart is with you at this difficult time. May the Almighty comfort you among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem and may you know sorrow no more.

Sincerely,

Benjamin Netanyahu.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)